“You’re letting emotion get in the way of this,” Bron continued.
Jasyn flinched as he felt Iskra fly by them and back up again, completing the same circle.
“Andyouremotions are not cloudingyouractions?” Jasyn snapped, ready to finally get answers.
“You have no idea what brought me here.” Bron’s voice was deep and guttural. “You get to hide in that glass castle of yours, but others, like me, live in a world where we have to sacrifice and yet leave empty-handed.”
Jasyn was trying to follow Bron’s words, but the guard was being vague. It frustrated Jasyn that he wouldn’t spit it out.
“Why are you here? Tell me, and I might even be able to help.”
Bron scoffed, and his reaction only angered Jasyn more. “You don’t have the cold heart to do what’s needed. You’re literally made of sunshine.”
“Tell me!” Jasyn yelled, refusing to let Bron brush this off. For weeks, there had been so much secrecy and so many unanswered questions. Jasyn refused to be in the dark any longer.
“Execute the minister.”
Jasyn stumbled backwards. “What?”
“My uncle is a monster worse than any dragon. He killed my mother, hisownsister, because he wanted to avenge himself. Though,” Bron tapped his chin, as if a thought just formed, “maybe your hatred of the minister would be enough to get you to act if you become king.”
“I don’t hate the minister,” Jasyn said, but he had a feeling that was about to change.
“The minister stole your Iskra away from her home, like he does with all his dragons, and branded her as his property, cursing her to this doomed fate. She transforms each night and is locked in a cage, never able to stretch her wings. He's currently drugging her with a concoction of herbs to make her feral with the desire to kill.” Bron pointed to the highest ledge, and Jasynfinally noticed the minister standing there. No wonder Iskra kept returning; she was getting another hit of the herbal smoke.
Jasyn felt his body go numb, and his eyes immediately stuck to Iskra, who continued her rotations around the cavern. He could tell she was getting hungrier for more action. He would need to start moving again soon.
“The minister hurt Iskra,” Jasyn said. It was a plain statement, devoid of emotion, but deep inside, a well of anger was bubbling up toward the surface.
More words spilled from Bron, as if once he started, he couldn’t stop himself. “I spent so much coin to try and save my mother. I am now in debt to the minister and need the wealth of being king to pay him back. The whole time, he knew it was his sister I was trying to keep alive, yet he leached everything from me, knowing he would never save her.”
There was so much sadness and resentment in the way Bron spoke. It shattered something deep within Jasyn. While Jasyn could grieve his siblings’ deaths without worry, Bron's own family member betrayed him.
“How much do you owe?”
Bron dipped his head, and there was so much shame in that small action. He didn’t deserve to feel that way. Bron had been stuck in his own metaphorical cage for years, Jasyn realized. He saw this as the only way out—but it didn’t have to be.
“We’ll figure it out together,” Jasyn offered. “But the only way I will ever dare help you is if Iskra comes out of this alive.”
Bron took Jasyn in, contemplating whether to trust him. Jasyn hoped he would because he was being sincere.
“Then you better hold on tight,” Bron said as he pushed Jasyn off the ledge.
Jasyn’s eyes widened as he fell. He knew it wasn’t far to the ground, but it could still kill him if he landed wrong.
He closed his eyes, preparing for all this to be over, but then, his body crashed into something else. Something thatmoved. Quickly, he held on to Iskra as she flew them both up.
Twenty
Jasyn squeezed his thighs tight as he situated himself. His sword was now long forgotten on the ground, and his hands had nothing to grip. If he wasn't careful, he would be another victim.
He gritted his teeth as Iskra swerved, and his body slid to the side. He expected her to do another loop around the cavern, but she seemed to slow her flight.
At first, he thought maybe Iskra didn’t realize he was on her back. Then, he was being jerked around side to side as she landed on her perch.
He screamed as his body could no longer hold on, and he tumbled off her back onto the ledge with her. He hissed as rocks poked into him, his wounds agonizing, but the pain was barely noticeable as he scrambled away from her. He hit the cave wall, which wasn’t far away at all. Her back was to him, but he had no doubt she sensed him there. She was thinking.
Jasyn peeked around him, searching for the Heart, and his own heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as no red glowsurfaced. Was it on another ledge? But this was the one Iskra had been protective over this whole time. It must be here.
